Chapter 53 Poison in the Pack
LIRA POV
The feast hall reeked of roasted meat and pack politics. I sat at Kael's right hand, the place of honor, while the boar I'd killed turned on spits over massive fireplaces.
"You should eat." Kael pushed a plate toward me. "You've earned it."
"I'm not hungry." I watched the pack members watching me. Saw calculation in some eyes, fear in others. "I'm waiting."
"For what?" His voice dropped low.
"For whoever poisoned Aria's draughts to make their next move." I kept my expression neutral. "They won't be able to help themselves tonight."
"You know who it is."
"I have suspicions." I finally took a bite of meat, tastng victory and blood. "But I need proof before I act."
Mira appeared from the crowd, her midnight-black hair freshly cut. She wore hunting leathers that left little to imagination.
"Alpha." She bowed to Kael, deliberately not acknowledging me. "The pack requests the Luna's hunting story. Traditional first-kill tale."
"The Luna is injured." Kael's hand found mine under the table. "It can wait."
"Can it?" Mira's smile was smug. "Or are you afraid she'll admit the truth? That Moonblood magic helped her track the boar?"
"I used nothing but wolf instinct." I met her challenge directly. "Something you'd understand if you were more than rogue trash playing at pack wolf."
Gasps rippled through the hall. You didn't insult someone's origins—not publicly.
Mira's expression hardened. "At least I earned my place here. Instead of spreading my legs for the alpha."
"Enough." Kael's voice cracked ln annoyance. "You will not disrespect"
"Let her speak." I squeezed his hand, stopping him. "I want everyone to hear what Mira really thinks."
"I think you're using the mate bond to manipulate our alpha." Mira addressed the hall now. "I think you're dangerous, unstable, and unworthy of the Luna title."
"Then challenge me." I stood, ignoring my body's protests. "Publicly, let the pack witness who's really unworthy."
"Lira, don't" Kael grabbed my wrist.
"Ancient law allows challenges to new Lunas." I pulled free, keeping my eyes on Mira. "She questions my worthiness. Let her prove it."
Selene rose from the elder's table. "A Luna challenge requires specific conditions, combat alone isn't sufficient."
"Then name your conditions." Mira's smile widened. "I accept whatever terms the council sets."
The hall fell silent. I felt pack bonds shifting, wolves choosing sides.
"Three trials." Elder John stood beside Selene. "Combat, Leadership, and Sacrifice. The same tests Lira faces for official recognition."
"But she hasn't taken those trials yet." Thomas objected. "You can't challenge someone who hasn't been properly"
"The hunt serves as her first trial." Selene's voice cut through arguments. "Leadership and Sacrifice remain. If Mira succeeds in all three, she earns the right to challenge for Luna status."
"And if I fail?" Mira asked.
"Exile." Selene's pronouncement was final. "You leave Darkfang territory forever."
Mira's jaw tightened, but she nodded. "I accept."
"No." Kael moved to stand. "I forbid."
"You can't." I touched his shoulder, keeping him seated. "Ancient law supersedes alpha command in Luna challenges."
"She's trying to tame you." His voice dropped to something inhuman. "Can't you see that?"
"Of course I see it." I leaned closer, whispering. "That's why I goaded her into accepting public terms. Now when she tries, everyone watches."
Understanding flickered in his storm-gray eyes. "You planned this."
"I learned from the best." I straightened, addressing the hall. "When do we begin?"
"Tomorrow at dawn." Selene gestured to both of us. "Mira will complete her Leadership trial first. Then Lira completes hers. Combat trial follows at noon."
"And Sacrifice?" Mira demanded.
"Blood moon, three days hence." Selene's ancient face held warning. "Both of you prepare. The trials will test more than just strength."
The pack erupted in whispers. Some wolves cheered for Mira, others for me, the division was clear.
Kael pulled me aside as the hall descended into chaos. "This was reckless."
"This was necessary." I met his fury calmly. "Mira's been poisoning pack members against me since I arrived. Better to face her openly than fight shadows."
"She's dangerous." His hands gripped my shoulders. "She's got nothing to lose and everything to prove."
"Then she's predictable." I touched his jaw, feeling stubble rough against my palm. "Fear makes people desperate and desperation makes them sloppy."
"And what if you're wrong?" His voice broke slightly. "What if she"
"Then you find someone else to complete the bond with." I tried to make it sound casual.
"There is no one else." He pulled me closer, his breath hot against my ear. "If you die, I die. That's what the bond means."
"I know." I pressed my forehead to his chest, breathing in his scent. "That's why I have to win."
We stood like that while the feast continued around us. Two souls bound by magic and prophecy, both terrified of what came next.
"Lira?" Aria appeared beside us, her expression troubled. "I need to examine your wounds. They should have started healing by now."
I followed her to the healer's sanctuary, Kael trailing behind like a shadow. She had me lie on a stone pallet while she unwrapped the bandages.
"Silver." She breathed the word. "There's silver dust in your wounds."
"What?" Kael moved faster, examining my torn shoulder. "How?"
"The boar's tusks." I remembered the burning pain. "They must have been coated."
"Deliberately." Aria's hands shook as she cleaned the wounds. "Someone wanted to ensure you'd be weakened for the challenge."
"Who had access to the boar?" Kael's voice dropped to alpha command.
"Anyone." I closed my eyes against pain. "It was found in the forest, anyone could have prepared it beforehand."
"Then we test everyone." He turned to Thomas, who'd followed us. "I want every pack member accounted for. Find out who"
"Stop." I grabbed his wrist. "You're playing their game. Turning the pack against each other, making everyone suspect everyone."
"Then what do you suggest?" Frustration bled through the bond.
"I heal." I looked at Aria. "Can you remove the silver?"
"It'll hurt." She produced silver-tipped forceps. "A lot."
"I've been hurt before." I braced myself. "Do it."
The extraction took an hour, each piece of silver dust burned like fire as Aria removed it from my wounds. Kael held my hand throughout, his grip crushing.
When she finished, I could barely move. The wounds remained open, raw, refusing to heal properly.
"Wolfsbane would help." Aria admitted quietly. "But all my healing draughts were poisoned."
"Then we make new ones." I forced myself to sit up. "You know the recipe?"
"Yes, but the ingredients" She hesitated. "Some only grow in the cursed borderlands. It would take days to gather them safely."
"We don't have days." I stood despite her protests. "I'll go now to gather what you need."
"Absolutely not." Kael blocked the door. "You're injured, poisoned, and facing a challenge tomorrow. You're not going anywhere."
"Then I face Mira's trials weakened." I met his gaze. "Is that what you want?"
"I want you alive!" His control finally snapped. "I want you safe in this sanctuary, healing, not throwing yourself into danger over and over!"
"And I want to be Luna on my own terms!" My voice rose to match his. "Not because the bond forces it, but because I earned it!"
We stood toe to toe, both breathing hard. The bond crackled between us—his need to protect crashing against my need for autonomy.
"You're the most stubborn, reckless, infuriating" He grabbed my face between his hands.
"Yes?" I challenged.
"person I've ever met." He kissed me hard, desperate. "And I'm terrified of losing you."
The admission cost him. I felt it through the bond—his walls crumbling, his fear exposed.
"Then come with me." I pulled back enough to speak. "Help me gather the herbs. Be my partner, not my jailer."
He searched my face, war playing out in his expression.
"Fine." He finally released me. "But we take Thomas and armed guards."
"Deal." I turned to Aria. "Write down what you need."
She scribbled a list with shaking hands. "Most grow near the old temple. But Lira, the borderlands are unstable. The curse affects reality there."
"Then we move fast." I took the list, studying the ingredients. "We'll be back before dawn."
"No." Aria caught my arm. "You'll be back by midnight or not at all. The borderlands don't allow prolonged exposure."
"Understood." I grabbed traveling gear from the sanctuary's stores. "Let's go."
The journey to the borderlands took two hours. By the time we reached the twisted forest where reality bled wrong, full night had fallen.
"This place reeks of dark magic." Thomas's hand stayed on his weapon. "We shouldn't be here."
"We don't have a choice." I stepped forward, following Aria's directions.
The cursed borderlands lived up to their reputation. Trees grew sideways. Flowers bloomed in colors that hurt to see. I found the first herb—moonpetal, growing in impossible spiral patterns. Harvested it carefully.
Then the second—bloodroot, its tendrils reaching like grasping fingers.
"Lira." Kael's warning came too late.
The ground beneath me collapsed. I fell into darkness, landing hard on stone.
Above, I heard shouts. Kael's voice commanding searches. But I was alone in the dark, my wounds bleeding freely, and I wasn't alone for long.
"Hello, little Moonblood." A voice echoed through the darkness.
Mira emerged from the shadows, a silver blade gleaming in her hand.
"Did you really think I'd wait for the official challenge?" She moved closer. "When I could kill you here, where no one can prove anything?"
I tried to stand but my wounded leg gave out.
"Helpless." She smiled. "Just how I wanted you."
The blade descended, and somewhere above, Kael's howl of rage and terror shook the cursed borderlands.